rondo221

Ok so Ive decided to add a Body Lift and Im going to go with Rodger Brown.. but I cant decide between the 1 or 2 inch lift.. Got a 2000 SR5 AT 4Runner
I will be adding front end Cornfed and Revteck top over spacers eventually and Im saving up for some downey rear coils.. Originally I was going to get a 1 inch just to make sure theres clearance when I finally go up to 285s
sooo the question is 1 inch or 2 advantages disadvantages?

calrockx

off the top of my head: with a one incher you won't have to extend anything. with two you'll have to extend at least the steering column.

why not 1.5" like me?
i only had to extend the steering and install was pretty easy.

shazaam

2" .. this is in retrospect of course

hillbilly

Amen! I'll second that....

rondo221

1.5 inch huh? you still have the same adjustments to make as if you did the 2 Right? hmmm Think Im leaning towards the 2 right now.. although 1.5 does sound pretty mild.

runnerboy97

even with one inch you have to do the steering. at 2 inches you might have to adjuat the fan and shroud, battery cables, shift linkage, etc. this is all from the few i have helped install. i am debating on a body lift for this summer. i think i might do a 1.5"

RobT2k

I'm in the same boat, trying to decide between 1 or 2". I just got a custom rear bumper and it was designed to hide the gap of a 2" bodylift. So before I cut up the mounts and change it, I want to make sure I don't want 2" lift.
Does Roger have 1.5" bodylifts?
How small will the 265/75 A/T's look w/a 2" lift? Or maybe I could crank the SAWs down a bit if they look puny. The tires are pretty new, so 285's are a long way off.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Easy to do.

Cost is relative the same.

Nothing drastic to move as the steering extension is the extent of the PITA stuff.

I have a decent write-up on my site and RB has all the instructions you need on his site.

2" definitely, why be half of what you can be?

TDiddy

I have some cornfeds for you when you're ready...

Darx

I went 1" on my taco and am happy with it. ALl i had to do was the steering extension. There's just enough line on the fuel filler to keep it in the fuel door compartment that I didn't have to do anything there.

BruceTS

I went with a 1.5" RB BL, because that was what I needed to clear my new wheels. I went from a 31.8" actual diameter tire to a 34.8", that makes a 3" difference, so half that is the reason. As for installation, it went quite smoothly and all I needed to do was add the steering linkage spacer.

sschaefer3

1" works quite well for me. It's "almost" like you don't even have a body lift.

Arnold

Get the 2". If you change your mind you can always cut them down to 1" and sell the leftover blocks.

RobT2k

I'm having trouble viewing your site, something about my security settings and Active X or MSVJM for Java apps. Any other way to see your writeup?
Also, what about the tires I have? 265/75 BFG A/T's Anyone think these will look too small or will have too much of a gap? These are pretty new,so no changing sizes for awhile,unless I get a used set for offroad only.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Write-Up

Many thanks to Roger Brown and the people at www.yotatech.com who gave me advice and support before I attempted this modification to my 4Runner.

Total Cost: $166 for the 2" Roger Brown body lift kit with 3 day shipping

Tools Needed: hydraulic jack, screw jack, 4x4, air ratchet, sockets and extensions, Phillips screwdriver, ladder

2" Roger Brown Body Lift Kit: 2 Bumper brackets, steering extension spacer with 2 longer bolts w/nuts, longer bolts w/lock nuts for spacers, 2" spacers

The night before I crawled under my rig and blasted each of the ten body mount bolts with WD40 and the bolts that hold on the bumper. My rig is only a 2000, so rust really shouldn't have been a problem anyway, but it just made things easier and the body mounts aren't hard to find. Two up front, two in back, three on each side of the body.

The next day I drove to my friend's house who has a shop where he works on...I hate to say it...FORDS!!! He is a Mustang nut, but an awesome mechanic and he has a sweet shop. He has one of those nice liquid cooled shop fans, so we stayed nice and cool! Take the Phillips screwdriver and remove the bottom carpet molding in the cargo area and on the front and back doors on both sides. You might also need to pop out the quarter panels in the front. Pull back the carpet and padding to find the body mount bolts. They will be covered by a black plastic square so pop those out. Note that each bolt has a washer with tabs on each side that lock into tab holders so the bolt doesn't spin when you crank on it from underneath. When you remove your bolts you need to knock these washers off and put them on your new bolts. I started to tack weld mine onto the new bolts so they would stay but didn't want to get anything off center, so I just slipped them on instead. In the cargo area there should really be no need to take off the quarter panels as there was plenty of room to get to the bolts, at least on my rig.

Look under the hood and loosen the battery cable harness so when you jack up the body you don't pop it off. It has plenty of slack in it, you just need to loosen it so it will slide as you lift. After your molding is off and you have the black caps off use your hydraulic jack to lift the frame. We were able to get it about chest high so the body mounts were right there easily accessed. Go ahead and take off the nuts/washers for the body mounts paying particular attention to what nuts/washers etc. come off each body mount. Some of them are different and there is one on each side that has a long bushing that keeps the body from flying off the frame if you are hit from the side. Just put the parts back together like you find them after you put in the new bolts and spacers.

After you have everything loose and laid out so you know how to put it back together, take off the bumper. I took mine off because there were two of us and it was no big deal. I think there were either 6 or 8 bolts we took off, but it wasn't hard. Make sure you disconnect the bumper light cords so you don't rip them off or break the plastic. Set the bumper aside. Now get under there, find the steering and loosen the two bolts that hold the whole little assembly together. It was easier to take out the steering assembly later, but it needed to be loosened now.

Now, it's time to use the screw jack. Place the 4x4 on top of the screw jack up next to the body, I just put it about mid way of the 4Runner on each side, and screwed up the jack about 2 - 2.25", enough to get in the spacers. I climbed up on the ladder and pulled out the bolts while my partner used the vice and a rubber mallet to knock off those tabbed washers that you must reuse. As he handed me a new bolt, I put it through the spacers below and then he put back on the appropriate washers/lock nuts. I had to hold the bolts up top while he tightened them below. Repeat other side.

Don't put the vehicle down yet, take that little steering assembly out, yeah, the whole thing and put the steering extension in. Just match up the bolts and the holes. You will have to use the two longer bolts supplied. You need to make sure you mark the spline where you took out the assembly, top and bottom, so that you will know where to put it back in when you reassemble, this way your steering wheel won't be off when you drive straight. Put the assembly back on.

Remove the lower radiator valence so it doesn't hit. No need to use drop brackets for the radiator unless you just want to. Plenty of clearance and it actually seems to fit better without the brackets.

Now put the bumper back on. Line up the bumper brackets on the front bumper mounts. This is where you need the 2" lift so the bumper will be close to the body again. The mounts on the sides don't line up after you raise the bumper, but I figure if someone hits you up front it won't matter anyway. These just seemed to be for extra support. I just put the bolts back where they came out so in case I need them for something later.

Hook back up your lights.

Lower the vehicle. Reattach the battery cable harness, put the carpet and padding back, put back the molding, clean up your mess and you are done.

Took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes, so it was a quick mod with the proper tools. I hope I didn't forget something, but that was pretty much about it. I did not have to do any modifications to my auto tranny shifter or the 4x4 shifter as some have done. The angles looked fine and they both function fine, yet the 4x4 shifter might could use an extension as it does now sit a bit lower in the boot inside the cab. I hope this helps you out if you are looking to do a body lift yourself. It wasn't hard at all, but I sure wouldn't have attempted it without the proper equipment and some help. The air ratchet made things a lot easier. I wish I had thought to take pictures, but you can get some pictures off Roger Brown's web site

RobT2k

Thanks Brian! Some of the things you mention, were what I had questions about. Specifically, the auto trans shift linkage, the battery, steering.
Also, were there any issues with the fuel filler tube and the gas tank door?
Oh yeah, I wanted to get one of your hilift adapters, but like I said before I can't view your site. Can you just send me an email with a paypal link or something with the total? Thanks!! robt2k(at)hotmail.com

PoBoy

Another vote for the 2 incher...no major difference installing a 2 vs 1. IT'S EASY!

934rnr

I did a 1.4" on my 4 runner the only things I had to do was move the shifter boot plate some because it was hitting the shifter. I also had to loosen the steering shaft and move it a little and then tighten it back down.
Of course you guys have 3rd gens so it's a different ball of wax somewhat on yours.

outlaw27

I went 2", and the install was no different from the 1". The only thing that was a pain was bending my shifter knob. It rubbed on the body real bad after the lift. I had to bend it to the right and forward a little, now I have to reach really far to shift into 1st 3rd and 5th. If I had only done a 1" I might not have had to move the shifter, but in the end I think it was worth it.

rimpainter.com

1" here. All these 2" guys are just haters. Brian is just jealous he doesn't have a dope front end like me...